Portugal calling

This article first appeared in our International Women’s Day 2026 issue of My Green Pod Magazine. Click here to subscribe to our digital edition and get each issue delivered straight to your inbox

Main image: Nadia Duinker, co-founder of Freedom Ville

Portugal has a powerful spiritual draw: every year pilgrims walk the Portuguese Camino de Santiago, one of the greatest historic walking trails of the world, across Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Separately, the vision of the Fifth Empire (Quinto Império) predicts a time when individuals from all over the world will converge to awaken a higher consciousness and co-create a harmonious world, rooted in Portugal but transcending geographical borders.

The popular Lisbon and Sintra, a picturesque UNESCO World Heritage site steeped in mysticism, draw tourists to the coast, but venture inland and a very different journey awaits.

The Portuguese Inland Way of Santiago has been dubbed a journey of self-discovery across the purest natural landscapes, while the inland city of Fátima, a key centre for the Cult of the Virgin Mary, is known as the place where spiritual journeys begin.

Mountain villages, complete with their trademark schist houses, are being discovered and revived – some with the help of ADXTUR (Agency for the Tourist Development of the Schist Villages) and others thanks to pure love, trust and commitment to the restoration of community and the revival of a special, female -led magic.

One such location is Freedom Ville, a stunning eco resort co-founded by Nadia Duinker. Waterfalls, natural springs and enchanted woods wind their way through fertile land that nourishes life in all its forms; avocados, and pomegranates thrive just as much as the people lucky enough to visit this abundant, magical land.

Nadia has form with restoration projects; she has a track record of transforming abandoned and disused space into thriving hubs of creative energy that bring communities together.

The road hasn’t been smooth – literally or figuratively. ‘Following your dreams rarely brings the results you expect’, Nadia shares. ‘Choosing truth over comfort is not a reward-based decision, it is an initiation – one that leads straight into the deepest transformation of your life. It reveals the scars we carry, the stories we tell ourselves and the lies we learned to survive.’

Nadia has found that while cities have a tendency to distract, nature has the ability to reveal things we may have been trying to avoid. ‘Walking the path of authenticity is not for the faint-hearted’, she warns; ‘it is not a sprint, but a marathon home. Along the way you may have to let go of people, places and comforts that once felt safe – but we grow strong by allowing ourselves to feel weak.’

‘Vulnerability isn’t a flaw, it’s the true strength of the soul’, Nadia continues. ‘Freedom begins when we stop ignoring the cries of our soul and finally learn to come home to ourselves.’ The reward is not success as we were taught to recognise it; it arrives disguised as a return – a slow, sometimes painful journey back to your true self. One that humbles, softens, breaks you open and teaches gratitude.

Here, Nadia introduces some of the people who, like her, have been drawn to Central Portugal in search of an alternative lifestyle, hallmarked by freedom from systems that seem increasingly outdated and unfit for sustainable, heart-centred living. We asked what brought them here and what, if anything, they need to make their journey smoother.

Hels Sookhram

I left conventional life behind in 2006 – not as an act of escape per se, but as a commitment. I knew early on that the structures offered to us were too narrow for the way I wanted to live, love, create and relate. I spent years travelling, learning, unlearning, building and dissolving; each place gave something, but none asked me to stay in the way Portugal did.

What drew me here was the space. On first glance there’s hardly civilisation; the wider community here seems quiet, but it’s lively when you know where to look. Finding my private valley, filled with an abundance of resources, nature and a village to rebuild, was a sign to stay. It was a space to build something new: a life aligned with the seasons. I slowly learned to remove pressure placed on myself, by myself; to breathe and slow down into a pace that allows for presence.

People arrive with intention. Many are restoring old ruins, land and themselves at the same time. I notice guests often arrive exhausted by noise, speed and expectation; what they leave with is simpler and valuable. Nervous systems that have softened, clarity about what matters and a sense of belonging to something more primal and wise than any manmade system. Connection to ourselves – to nature. Nature is not a backdrop to life here, it is in fact the boss.

What do you need now?
Depending on the timeline, some long-term residents who want to clear land, build up and plant and manage food, and help to create inter-dependent autonomous areas within the space. In the longer term, someone to buy most of the land.

More is at myohovalley.com